The next day he awoke to sun pouring in through his windows, and a faint smell of breakfast coming in through the cracked door.
"Merry! Mum says wake up and come down for breakfast!" Pimpernel's high voice coming floating in to the room.
"I'm up, be down in a second!" Merry got dressed and went down to breakfast to see his Aunt, Uncle, Pearl, Pimpernel, Pervinca, Pippin, and another man seated at the table, ready to eat.
"Good morning Merry, I trust you slept well"
"Yes, very well, thank you Uncle"
"Hi Merry!"
"Hullo Pippin!" Breakfast was uneventful, except for the fact that there was a stranger sitting next to Paladin, chatting with him, and occasionally glancing in Merry's direction. Afterwards, Merry pulled his uncle aside, "Uncle Paladin, who was that man sitting next to you at breakfast?"
"Well, your mother seems to think that even though you are on holiday, you need to keep up with your studies, so I have hired a tutor."
"But I thought I..."
"I thought you were here to help on the farm and to relax as well, but your mother seems to have other plans."
"Do I have to?"
Paladin lowered his voice, as though he seemed to think that his sister would suddenly come walking up the hall "Well, if I had it my way, you we be helping the rest of us, but this was your mothers decision."
"Oh all right" Then, from out of nowhere the man came sweeping up the hall.
"Good morning Master Meriadoc, I am Mister Adams, and while you are staying here, I will be your tutor, so I expect you to be ready in half an hours time, waiting for me in the study. Am I clear?"
"Yes sir."
"Alright Master Meriadoc, until then, good day Master Paladin" he turned, cloak swirling, and went back down then hall.
"Uncle,"
"Hum,"
"He seems really awful!"
"Supposedly he is one of the best tutors in all the shire..."
"Can't I just go play with Pip?"
"No, Merry you must go to your lessons, and I would hurry up if I were you, that 'Mister Adams' doesn't seem like the kind of hobbit you would want to be in trouble with, I will see you later."
Now depressed, Merry headed for the study Well, he thought, Maybe if I finish my lessons early, he will let me go and play with Pippin. As he entered the study, Merry noticed how it had been moved around so that there was now a small desk and chair in the middle of the room, and opposite that a large high backed chair in which was seated...
"Pippin, what are you doing here?"
"Merry! I came to see if you could come play with me, I want to go see if there are any frogs left at the stream, please merry please can we go to the stream, there are all sorts of frogs..."
"I am sorry Pip, but right now I have to have lessons, afterwards we can go and catch some frogs, Ok?"
"Ok, bye merry" Pippin slumped out of the room, closing the door behind him, when he ran into something very solid
"Good morning master Peregrin, how can I help you?"
"Hello, I was just um, just um..."